Rotten Sweets and a Side of Sugar: Starvation
by NecroPriestess
Summary: Foreigners sampled the Roleholder's clocks. They took a gentle lick of each one to try the varying sweets until they managed to find a favorite. Once they found 'the one' they continued to eat away at the sweet until there was nothing left, and they cried themselves awake. Beatrice was already spoken for, so she didn't crave 'sugar'. Yet out of sight meant out of mind...
1. Soda

Beatrice was stuck in Wonderland. There was no need for any pomp or grandiose explanation, you'd find it all boring anyway and likely don't care, all that mattered was she was stuck here. Now you've probably read all about the lovely opium dream that Lewis Carol wrote, but apparently he was a liar. The world was not charming, the denizens weren't stupid, and everything could and would kill you. And Beatrice, a young and completely normal human, had been dropped into it.

Literally.

And thanks to this drop she had broken her left leg. Fate didn't hate her enough to let her die, instead she had been rescued by one of the insane denizens of this world and rushed to a hospital in a nearby town. The doctor had been baffled by her injury, something about time changes, and was basically given to the cat boy Boris Airay. Her leg was wrapped up in a heavy cast, and she was carefully deposited on the cat boy's back, before being given a bottle of pills and sent on her way. The entire event happened in a whirl wind, and if she didn't know better she would have thought she was in an acid dream. All of the colors here seemed brighter, people lacked faces, and her sense of time was blown to hell and back when it became night then afternoon in the span of ten minutes.

As such she had been very quiet the entire time, not answering any of the doctor's questions, and not speaking to her rescuer. This didn't seem to deter him though, he'd kept up his idle chatter as if he didn't notice her silence. She shut her eyes and leaned her head forward, nestling it in the boy's neck. He smelled vaguely of something smokey, not like firewood, but with an almost chemical kick to it.

"Huh, you're falling asleep already?"

"..."

She wondered if she didn't answer him if he'd shut up, but she was proven wrong when he began speaking again. "Those pills the doctor gave you must work pretty well. I've never needed to go to the doctor before, so I wouldn't know. Heh, I take care of myself most of the time." He shifted his hold on her, gripping her thighs with his large hands. "You foreigners are pretty fragile though, doesn't take much to break you."

Her ears perked up at the word foreigners. She'd had thought it was all a dream when she was falling down the hole, but when she broke her leg she was thoroughly convinced that this was reality. When she was younger she'd broken her arm during ballet practice, she'd felt the same pain when she broke her leg, there was no way that was some type of mental mumbo jumbo. However that begged to question where on earth, if she was even there, she was. She knew this place was called Wonderland, and that she was in a place called Clover Country, but where was that exactly? The boy had only named the place, but hadn't been specific about continents or anything like that. Maybe she was in the center of the earth, wasn't there a movie about that or something?

"Do foreigners come here all the time?"

The boy jumped slightly, causing her to shift on his back. "I thought you fell asleep!"

"Sorry..." She placed her head back in his neck. "I'll finish my nap."

"N-no, stay up." He shook her gently, turning a few heads from the faceless in the city. "So, you haven't said much. Did it hurt that bad to break your leg, or were you in shock or something?"

"I was scared." She admitted. "It was really scary to be alone in the woods, but I was happy you found me and took me to the doctor. Thank you."

"No problem, kid." He took a turn down into a dark alleyway, making Beatrice stiffen on his back. Even though Boris hadn't done anything to her yet, he was actually a bit helpful, she wasn't so ready to trust him so easily. "So what's your name? I'm Boris Airay."

"B-Beatrice Libson."

"Beatrice," He tried her name, something she found a bit awkward if not forced. "that's a weird name." He suddenly stopped outside a dingy door. "Can you hold onto me with our good leg? I've gotta open the door."

She did as she was told, but was surprised when she found herself in a room full of crosses, chains, and skulls. Gold chains were attached to the ceiling, and crosses were attached to a locket and put in a few vases. Skulls were set on the bed post, and what looked like a lamp, and some were printed on a pirate flag. There was also splashes of fuchsia and black, helping to cement an almost punk theme. Boris went over to a purple couch next to a window, and carefully set her down, making sure to stretch out her leg so it wouldn't get injured again. "There you go, the Doc said you shouldn't be messed up for too long, so you can bunk with me until you're better."

"Thank you." She watched Boris go to a barrel close to the bed and fish around in it. After a few moments he managed to produce a bright blue bottle. She took it with a word of thanks and played with the edges of the old fashioned bottle top.

"You need help?" Beatrice looked up from her bottle, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found his face so close to her own. "The bottle looks like it's about to kick your ass."

She held out the bottle to him. "Please?"

He took the bottle and brought it to his mouth, easily peeling it off with his teeth. Beatrice fought the urge to roll her eyes at the hyper masculine behavior, and eagerly took the beverage from him when it was presented. "Thank you! You really like to help me, huh?"

Boris sat down next to her, his own bottle of green liquid in his hand. "You're a foreigner, most of you guys can hurt yourselves really easily. Besides, you're a kid and a girl. I gotta look out for you, ya know?"

"Like a big brother?"

Boris stopped mid sip, his face visibly heating up. "Uh, sure."

"Can I call you big brother then?"

"Sure?"

Beatrice grinned and drank down some of her cherry soda. She had just acquired an ally in this strange world, and possibly a place to stay.

* * *

Shortly after her 'bonding time' with Boris, Beatrice went to sleep. When she woke up she found the room empty. Realizing Boris must have left for a bit, she decided to take the time to find out more about her new roommate. She carefully slid off the couch and grabbed her crutches, which Boris must have gotten while she was asleep, and balanced herself in a stable standing position. Once she knew she wasn't going to fall and break more bones, she hobbled over to the locker on the other side of the room. It opened with a low creak, and a flurry of dust, making her eyes water. However she was too stunned to do anything about them as she stared at the stash. She figured Boris would have something strange, after all he wore cat ears and a tail, but she thought it would be furry porn.

Instead she had found a massive cache of guns.

There were military type guns, hunting looking guns, and even a few old fashioned ones that looked like they belonged in a museum. It was clear that Boris was some type of gun nut, or he was a criminal, both seemed feasible. Actually, with all his punk imagery and his casual attitude she wouldn't be all that surprised if he was a loner. Maybe all of the guns were going to be used to shoot up his classmates or something. That was putting him into a certain stereotype, but she wasn't sure how things worked in this world. The doctor had acted very respectable and polite, so had the nurses, and a few of the other patients had acted scared around Boris. Maybe he had some type of reputation and they had something to do with these guns?

Beatrice shut the locker and hobbled back to the barrel and grabbed another drink from the same bottle type that she had earlier. She tucked it under her chin, and went back to her spot on the couch. Setting her crutches back in her spot, she then opened her drink and took a few sips of the cold beverage. She needed to figure out exactly where she was, but she needed to do so in a way that wouldn't seem off. Boris thought she was a little girl, so it would have to be in a way that didn't harm that persona. People tended to see children different from adults, if he thought she was older, would he allow her to stay here? He seemed like a genuine type of person, but first impressions had a bad habit of being manufactured. Maybe the next time she went to the doctor she would ask around, see what his reputation was with the...normal people.

She also needed to see what the child labor laws were. Even if she was playing the role of a child, she was still too young to actually work a job even though she had plenty of experience. She needed to make herself independent as soon as possible, that way she could hold her own, and not exhaust her connection so early on before she had a chance to find a way home.

The door opened, dragging Beatrice out of her thoughts. Boris came tumbling back into the room, in his hand was a pistol attached to a chain that was attached to the collar around his neck. She stiffened and backed further into the couch, her fingers gripping her bottle a little tighter. It was either the bottle or her crutches, anything else that was usable as a weapon was too far out of reach. "W-why do you have a gun?"

Boris' head snapped to her direction, a grin taking up his face. "Oh, I was just playin' at Heart Castle. Nothing important or anything." He shoved his gun away into the boa and chains that made up his outfit. "I guess you got bored when you woke up?"

Beatrice nodded. "I got another soda, was that okay?"

The cat boy hopped over the back of the couch and sat next to her. "Hey, we're roommates now. You don't need to ask to take from my stash."

"That rhymes."

He stared at her for a moment before a grin curled onto his lips. "Hey Beatrice, I'm tall when I'm young and short when I'm old, what am I?"

"Huh?"

"It's a riddle." He said. "Now try to solve it."

She mulled the words around in her head. Tall when young, but short when old? Her face heated up, and her eyes narrowed as she stared at Boris. Didn't he think she was a kid, why would he ask that kind of riddle? She flinched when he scooted closer to her, a hand gently touching her forehead. "You okay? Your face is all red."

"I-I'm fine." She waved a hand around, doing a poor imitation of a fan. "I think I'm a little hot."

Boris reached behind her and opened up the window. A cool breeze entered the room, as did the smell of popcorn and cotton candy. "Did you figure it out yet?"

"Ah," Screams and laughter filtered in, succeeding in distracting her as she tried to turn around and look out the window. "I dunno what it is."

"A candle!"

"A candle?"

"Yup," Boris pointed with his index finger. "A new candle is tall, but when you set it on fire," His finger curled. "it slowly becomes shorter until you have to buy a new candle all over again."

Beatrice stared at him for several seconds before she began to laugh. It was a pretty terrible riddle, but she guessed she should expect that out of someone who thought that they were the Cheshire Cat. "That's silly."

"Maybe, but I like them." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Riddles, puns, and word puzzles are some of my favorite things."The lighting in the room suddenly shifted from morning to early evening. "Alright, time to take your pills."

"Awe, but I don't wanna!"

"Don't be like that, you sound like that Caterpillar." He grabbed her nose. "Now open up!"

"No, ah! Big brother!"

* * *

Julius stared at Nightmare, his arms crossed over his chest and a blank expression on his face. "You brought another one here? One would think that you would get tired of breaking the rules and having to deal with the consequences, but apparently that's not the case."

Nightmare took the pipe from between his almost blue lips, allowing a puff of smoke to escape from his mouth. "Now that's not the case, I did learn my lesson." A smirk curled on his lips. "I just learned from my mistakes, this time things won't go so badly. I'm sure everyone is eager for a new game, especially you Julius."

The man's slender fingers tightened, but his face kept its blank mask. Even after all that happened in the last game, this man was intending to start this insanity all over again. It was dangerous, not only for the outsiders, but the denizens of Wonderland. To submerge them in the insanity all over again, especially during one burning fiasco that had yet to end, was utter insanity. But this was Wonderland, everyone was insane, even those who managed to interact with you without trying to kill you still had a festering top that wouldn't take much to rip off. Still, he wasn't in Clover Country at the moment, so hopefully the foreigner would finish up her business and leave before April Season came around.

"What I have in mind is far more permanent." Nightmare said. "This time things will go right, and then you'll have to admit that I was right."

The man's lone eye widened and blood spurted out of his mouth. Julius remained passive, clearly not caring about the man's well being. "You can try this experiment all you want, but I wouldn't fail if I were you. This type of thing isn't usually forced, especially when it involves a foreigner who's dead set on leaving, but you all ready know that."

Nightmare wiped some of the blood away with a handkerchief, his high and might attitude subdued. "Right, it'll be settled by the time you're back. Hopefully." He choked on the last word, and curled his legs to his knees as if in pain. "I-t'll be done, just stop trying to kill me!"

Julius scoffed, but didn't say anything as everything began to fade away, and the heavy curtains of sleep lifted.


	2. Lollipop

**A/N: This chapter is short thanks to time constraints. I'm going out of town Monday and Tuesday, and I have a ton of projects to do. But I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter anyway. ^_^**

* * *

Beatrice wasn't exactly sure how long she had stayed in the strange new world. The hours blended together in a haze of idle chatter, sleep, and Boris forcing pills down her throat. She had learned a little about this world, mostly about the various territories that surrounded the current territory they were staying at, and a bit about the residents. Apparently there were four territories and each of them were scattered out in this strange world. There was Clover Tower, Heart Castle, The Forest of Doors, and Hatter's Mansion. Boris was good friends with Tweedle Dee and Dum from Hatter's Mansion, and was welcomed to come at any time. Thus, by association, she was welcomed so long as he introduced her to the leader of the territory. That was all she managed to glean from him before the lights in the window changed once again, the world going from an inky night sky to a blazing sunset.

Beatrice hissed and grabbed her cast covered leg, dropping the rubik's cube she had been playing with. Boris looked up from the fishing lures he was organizing. "You okay?"

"I-I don't know." Her leg felt like it was being torn apart from the inside, all of the blood and bone being stabbed by rusted knives then blasted with fire. "It didn't hurt this much last time."

"Last time?" His eyebrows furrowed, before he nodded as if he understood something. "I guess you're not used to healing after a new time change. It's weird you didn't feel it 'til now."

"This is normal?" Another wave of pain sent her curling up on her side, her broken leg stretched out awkwardly in front of her.

"Yeah, it happens to everybody, it doesn't send them sprawling though." He tossed the mini fish into a blue bucket before getting up from his bed and picking Beatrice off the couch. His touch was gentle, every time she would whimper he was sure to adjust his hold to a more comfortable position. "Let's go see the doctor."

Beatrice didn't even bother trying to keep up with her childish persona. She was almost crying for joy when Boris opened up the door, and instead of being in the alley they were in the middle of the doctor's office. The old man was sitting on a stool and there was a lollipop in his mouth.

He jumped up immediately and wrung his hands together. "Mr. Airay, I didn't expect you back so soon with your charge. S-she didn't die, did she?"

Boris sat her on the stiff cot. "She's messed up, I think the time changes are messing with her leg."

The doctor hurried over and tapped at her cast, earning a hiss from Beatrice. He ignored it as he took out a knife and easily cut thick cast, the two halves dropping to the floor. Beatrice's entire leg was a nasty purple color that stood out from her dark skin, but other than that everything looked normal. "Her healing was tremendously advanced. I never knew foreigners were affected by it this way though, she seems stable and just needs medicine. Have her walk around town a bit so that she can keep her muscles strengthened, but it doesn't seem that she needs the cast or crutches anymore."

The man went back to his stool and stood on it, getting down a bottle of something in a bright red container. He tossed it to Boris, who caught it without looking at it. His gaze was fixed on Beatrice with a toothy grin on his lips. "Let's see how long you're gonna fight this time."

* * *

After a fight for the sake of her persona, Beatrice drank down the bitter medicine and was given a strawberry lollipop. It had taken her a few minutes, but eventually the pain had gone down and she was able to stand up, and even walk out the door. She twirled her treat around with her tongue while she followed closely behind Boris. The city was crowded with people on the cobble stone streets, with trees and colorful buildings flanking them on the sides. Even in the streets she could smell over bearing perfumes, sizzling meat, fresh bread, and something acidic and smokey that reminded her of Boris.

"Hey, you hungry?"

"Huh-ah!" She nearly stumbled into his back, but was quick to right herself again. Peering behind his back to see why he stopped, she saw that they had stopped in front of a food cart. A girl with pale blonde hair was frying fish, and there was thick slices of bread set in a pan to toast. Her stomach gurgled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since she was dropped in this world. "I can eat fish?"

"Don't tell me you don't like fish."

Actually, Beatrice wasn't fond of fried food. She also hated anything that was soggy, bitter, had onions in it, or was too spicy. All in all she was an incredibly picky eater, and she didn't need to pretend to be a kid for that. However, Boris seemed to almost seem skeptical about her question. Clearly fish was something he really liked, and it almost felt like she would be insulting him if she denied the food. Sucking up her little bit of pride she gave a wide smile. "I want to try some, Big Brother! Can I have pickles on mine? I really like those. Oh! And mayonnaise?"

The blonde set two more fish into her vat of oil. "I didn't know you had a sister, Boris. She doesn't look like you at all, I've never even seen skin that dark."

"She's a foreigner" Boris said. "I found her in the woods three time changes ago, and I guess I'm stuck with her now."

"Guess you're a step ahead in this round."

"She's a kid though."

"True." The blonde took the fish off the vat and put them on the bread. She then slid them in a white paper bag and handed the food to Boris. "But love knows no age!"

"Right."

Beatrice eagerly took her food and followed Boris as they walked off,biting into the fatty food, and savored the smooth mayo. She wondered how the laws regarding sex and relationships worked in this world. It was clear from Boris' reaction that he was personally uncomfortable with the idea of 'loving' someone much younger than him, but it was obvious from the lady's words that it was acceptable. Though what concerned her more was that she had used the term 'round'. Did Boris only want to help her for an ulterior motive? She needed to find a way to slip away from him and ask about his history, personality, and the like.

"How's your fish?"

Beatrice swallowed a bite. "It's good, thank you."

She needed to find an excuse and quickly. As much as she appreciated all the time he dumped into taking care of her, there was no point in getting involved with a person that could eventually harm her. She finished up her sandwich and balled up the paper wrapping with one hand, eyes glancing around and looking for a trashcan. Eventually she found one, sitting right outside a dress store. She stared down at her old clothes, she was merely wearing a skirt and a sweater, but somehow it hadn't gotten any dirtier than when she fist left her office the afternoon she was dragged in Wonderland. Being a 'little girl' wouldn't it be appropriate for her to crave pretty dresses? She wouldn't ask him to but them, but begging to try them on wouldn't be so wrong.

She reached out and grabbed Boris' arm and stopped him, pointing at the bright blue shop. "Hey, look at the dresses!"

Boris looked from her to the dresses, and then did it again. "You want to look at them?"

"Do you want to?" She asked. "Boys don't like dresses very much."

"Actually, you need new clothes, right?" He took her hand and dragged her over to the shop. "Last thing I need is Alice complaining about how I've been taking care of you."

She opened her mouth to ask who Alice was, but stopped when they entered the store. It had several racks and mannequins set up with old fashioned dresses that looked like they belonged in a museum. A large young woman hurried over to them, a smile spread over her nondescript face. "Welcome to _Evangeline's_! How may I help you both today?"

"She needs a new dress." Boris pushed Beatrice forward.

The woman knelt down, a hand taking up a piece of her thick curly hair. "Such a unique and adorable look to you! I'm sure we have something that is befitting a lovely girl of your position."

Before she had time to blink, she was whisked off, the woman chatting her ear off about lace and satin.

* * *

It had taken half an hour, but the woman had eventually found several dresses for Beatrice to try on. All of them were longer than her skirt, and were lovely pastel colors that would put a baby nursery to shame. She fingered through them until she managed to find one of the few she actually liked, a pale pink one with a high laced collar, and long sleeves. Getting into the garment proved to be a problem, but when she was finally in it she put on the white boots. All together she looked like a Victorian doll, ready to be set on someone's shelf. She opened up the door to peek out, but a loud bang sounded and a feminine yelp.

Beatrice yanked the door back, but it was ripped from her fingers, and a shadow loomed over her. "You must either be a fool or desiring death to be so bold as to attack Us." A click and something cold pressing against her forehead made her heart stop. "Your indiscretion will cost you your life."

"Ah-!"

She flinched as another click was heard. "The Queen of Hearts shooting a foreigner? You've gotta be the Idiot wearing drag." Beatrice opened her eyes and saw a flurry of fuchsia behind a thin and lithe figure swathed in black. "Beatrice, back up."

She did as she was told, and started to shut the door, but the woman grabbed it. She seemed completely okay with the fact there was a gun to her head as she looked her up and down. "You're the new one that the Caterpillar brought?"

"Um...Yes, Ma'am?"

The woman raised her hand and the gun disappeared in a display of sparkles. "You may may put away your gun, Cheshire Cat. We shall not harm a foreigner."

Boris slowly took the gun off the woman's temple, but did not put the gun away. The woman stared down her nose, as if waiting for something. After a few moments she rolled her eyes and gestured to her. "You are certainly the most impertinent person We have ever met. Introduce yourself to the Queen."

Well that explained plenty. Her uppity attitude, her use of the majestic plural, and the confidence that oozed out of her every pore. Beatrice took her dress in hand and curtsied low, careful to keep her head down and eyes downcast. "Hello, your majesty. My name's Beatrice, I-"

"Good," The woman was quick to cut her off, and ignored Beatrice's choking sound. "you will make up your grievous mistakes by joining Us for tea in two time changes at Heart Castle. If you do not, then We will have your head." She turned on her heel, her voice suddenly becoming relaxed. "As for you, We will be happy to have you as well. Cats are adorable, and We will provide the best kitty food."

"Ah, no thanks."

"But We insist!"

"No!"

Beatrice watched the two bicker, letting her dress fall naturally into place. The people of this world were insane.

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

 **Angelic Trinity: Ah, thanks. I'm glad I followed my instinct/hate and rewrote the entire story. You'll have to read to find out the whole story between those three. ;)**

 **Nekohana: Well, if you like _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ , yes I stalked your profile, you're gonna like this then. Beatrice is a very different character than Aria, but the dramatic and interesting story elements are there. I'm sorry, I sound like I'm bragging...**


	3. Peppermints

Beatrice was used to the effects and minds of those from high society. After all, coming from a wealthy family had taught her a thing or seven, but she had never had audience with royalty before. Part of that would be that she was American, and they had gone as far as to brutally curb stomp their royal over lords, so that long ago historical act left her in a predicament. The way you treated a normal person with money and a Queen were likely two very different things. The fact she was in a foreign country, if she could even call Wonderland that, only made things worse. For all she knew, she wasn't supposed to come to the castle until an actual invitation was written up, regardless of the fact that the necessary time changes had passed. She had tried to ask Boris about it, but his response had been as unhelpful as they came. Something about Outsiders and how she had nothing to fear thanks to this particular status. She smoothed out her dress again as she made her way through a rose hedge maze. A few people from a village a good twenty minutes away had been kind enough to tell her how to get to Heart Castle; one villager had even been kind enough to give her a ride in their horse drawn cart. But, as soon as they made it to the rose studded entrance of the maze, she had been left to her own devices.

Thus she had been roaming around now for nearly an hour, making all sorts of nonsensical turns that continued began to make her head hurt. She'd kept her eyes open for any sign of life, but so far the only thing she'd seen was colorful butterflies and a few birds. There was a complete lack of gardeners, or guards on patrol, which she though would have been a staple in a royal anything. She stopped at a cross section, head tilted to the side and eyes narrowed. The last time she came to a cross section she'd made a left, maybe this time she should try right. Her gaze drifted upwards to the massive castle that loomed over everything within a sixty mile radius. It hadn't become any closer, nor had it gotten any further, it almost seemed like it didn't even matter which road she picked. "Good grief, I'm beginning to sound like a fortune cookie."

A sharp scream caused her to shut up, and her body tense. The scream itself only lasted a second, but there was a sickening crunch followed by a wet splat. Beatrice's hand slipped into the pocket of her dress, just for a low curse to leave her lips. She didn't have her taser, it had been damaged when she fell into Wonderland and abandoned in the forest. Seeing as how she had no other choice, she turned on her heel and then began to run down the path. She was certain her boots were making enough noise for the attacker to hear her, and her hoarse breathing was practically acting as a beacon, but she desperately wanted to put some kind of distance between herself and…Well, whoever it was. She made a left when she came down to a corner, then took a sharp right when another presented itself. Her movements were clumsy, and she could hear the cloth of her dress rip against the thin thorns and feel the leaves get tangled into her loose tight curls. When she made another half noticed right, she slammed into something warm and hard, causing her to stumble backwards and fall on her butt. A blur of bright blue got in her face, before a pair of red eyes was directly level with her own brown ones. "It's not a soldier."

Another face pushed itself into her personal bubble, this time with bright blue eyes, though with the same eye shape as the red eyed person. "You're right brother; it looks like a little girl." He poked her cheek, causing her to flinch away. "Awe, she's afraid. Do you think she's a Roleholder?"

The other boy's eyebrows furrowed, and he proceeded to poke her cheek as well. "I dunno, I've never seen a girl like this before."

"So she's a foreigner?"

Beatrice cut in then, she was already late as it was, she didn't want to start the whole 'who is the strange girl' buissness now of all times. If the Queen herself invited her to tea, it was best to comply so she had a powerful ally on her side. "Um, excuse me, but do you know the way to that castle?" She pushed herself up, and pointed to the gigantic castle, as if there was another one she could possibly be trying to get to. "I'm kinda late, and want to make it there before the Queen yells at me some more."

Both boys stared up at her before a grin began to form on their faces at the exact same time. It was scary, actually, and she was almost certain that it would come up in her dreams when she went to sleep. "So she IS a foreigner," The blue eyed one said. "the old hag wouldn't invite anyone else for tea."

"Not unless she wanted to kill them."

"Or it was Big Sister."

"Um," Beatrice waved her hand in front of their faces again, trying to win back their attention. "do you know the way?"

The red eyed one stood up and waved around a pole axe, something Beatrice hadn't even noticed until then. "Of course we do! We know this place better than anyone."

The blue eyed one jumped up as well, and put his axe over his shoulder. "Uh-huh! Even the old lady doesn't know every place in this rat hole garden!"

Beatrice just nodded along to what they were saying. She was almost certain that these guys didn't respect or even had loyalty towards the queen. If that was the case, maybe it was best not to travel with them, they could get her into trouble. The red eyed one grabbed her hand and began hauling her forward. "My name is Dum, that's my brother Dee, we're twins!"

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" She made a mental note of that and stored it in the back of her head. "My name's Beatrice, it's nice to meet you guys."

"Hey, Beatrice," Dee said. "are you an Outsider?"

The girl nodded. "Yup, I came here a little while ago, but I've been invited to tea with the Queen." She tilted her head to the side. "Do you guys work here?"

Dum shook his head. "Nah, we were just playing with the guards. "He gestured down an opposite path as they made a right. "we were down that way when we heard you run away. You're lucky we noticed you were a girl though."

"Why?"

Dee suddenly stopped; he held one arm out to prevent her from passing. "You hear that, Brother?"

Dum grinned and took his axe off his shoulder, his knees bending slightly as if to get into some type of battle stance. "Sounds like that idiot Knight."

Not too far off she could hear off beat whistling accompanied by something metal clanging against each other. Suddenly a man rounded the corner, his hand idly gripping the hilt of a sheathed sword, and his other hand wiping something red off his face. His red eyes widened upon seeing them, before a smile formed on his lips. "Heh, I didn't think I'd have this much attention today, I must be special."

Dee rushed forward to attack him, pole axe raised, but the man easily stepped to the side. He didn't even flinch when Dum ran at him; instead he merely deflected the blade with his sword, using enough force to push him into the thorns. The man walked forward, and with each step he took Beatrice took one step back. Even with all his red gear, the heart crests that adorned his clothes and sword, and the fact that he was referred to as a 'knight'; Beatrice was still anxious since he kept his sword unsheathed. "A foreigner with the Tweedle twins?" He tapped her chin with the flat of his blade, the cold metal made a harsh tingle go down her spine. "You must be the one Her Majesty's been ranting about. "

"I-I came for tea…"

His puzzled expression shifted into a smile. "So you are a foreigner then." He glanced behind him for a moment, and Beatrice moved slightly to look behind the knight's muscular body. The twins had run off, there was literally no sign that they had even been there. She flinched when the Knight turned his attention back to her. "Well, it's best not to keep Her Majesty waiting; not if you don't want to lose your head."

"M-my head?"

The man sheathed his sword and pushed past her so he could walk down the path. "Yeah, she does that a lot, executions and stuff. Sometimes she does it so often we don't even have enough people to do the work around the castle." He suddenly laughed; it was a light sound that seemed to originate from his throat instead of his chest or belly. "Good thing the King's around, if he wasn't then I'd be working right now too."

"R-right." So that meant the Queen was an incredibly dangerous person, and that keeping within her good graces was probably a good idea. She looked up at the sky as it shifted from early afternoon straight to evening. "So, what do you do then?"

"Huh, oh." He jabbed a thumb in his general direction. "I'm Ace the Knight of Hearts."

Beatrice's eyes widened and she clasped her hands together. "Really, you're a real knight? Do you save princesses and battle bandits and stuff?"

Ace's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before laughing again, and patting her head. "You know, you look really cute like that, no wonder the Queen was so eager to get you over here. However," He suddenly stopped and his hand tightened in her hair as he hauled her head back, forcing Beatrice to stop in front of him with a yelp. She could see her face reflected in those blank eyes, her terrified expression made her own stomach churn. "pure innocence doesn't look very good on you, not when I can see everything else behind that mask."

"W-what are you talking about?" She reached up and grabbed at his gloved hand with her much smaller finger. "Please let me go, it hurts!"

"Oh, you're gonna keep to that then?" He let her go. "That's fine I guess, this version of you is going to be pretty funny, so I guess I should enjoy it. But, whenever you want to stop pretending," He smiled down at her. "you can always come and find me."

* * *

The rest of their very long hike was spent in silence. Clearly Ace was either someone she was going to have to avoid with all her might or he was someone that she should have on her side. It was clear he was perceptive or at least smarter than he looked, but she wondered if he was someone that she could actually trust. She didn't want anyone else to know her secret yet, and if he was indeed a knight, then perhaps he'd tell the queen about her. She suddenly stopped when they came to a flagstone path that was just outside a dark pink brick wall. The path led up to the castle, and there were guards posted on each side of the long pathway. She glanced back to Ace, but he walked right past, arms crossed behind his head. "Um, Ace?"

"Yeah?"

She pointed to the path, even though he hadn't stopped. "I think I found the entrance."

He suddenly stopped and half turned so he could see. A grin suddenly spread over his face as his arms dropped to his side. "Ha, I guess I overlooked it again, that shortcut must have thrown me off."

Beatrice waited for him to lead again before following close behind him. Just like in every other place she had been, she could practically feel the faceless 'stare' as she passed them by. A few even muttered to themselves, clearly confused about her entire existence. Ace led her through the pathway and up to the front entrance where a maid was sweeping the front entrance. She abruptly stopped when she noticed the two of them walk up. She lightly bowed to Ace, her black hair bobbing with the movement. "Hello, Lord Ace, do you require something?"

He jabbed a thumb in Beatrice's direction. I've gotta take her to see the Queen, do you know where she is?"

"Seeing as it's evening, I would assume she's taking tea in her garden." She placed a hand on her chin and leaned against the broom. "It's probably a good thing that she came during the evening; Queen Vivaldi has ordered six executions in the last two hours due to the new foreigner being late."

Beatrice raised an eyebrow, but decided to not comment on it. It seemed that being overly involved or curious was making her look fake, perhaps being overly concerned would do the same thing. Afterall, she was supposed to be a foreigner, she didn't even know who was being executed anyway. "I better hurry then," She turned to Ace and gave a short courtesy. "Thank you Ace, I'd still be stuck if it weren't for you."

The maid made a choking noise, but Ace ignored it as he gave a smile and pat her head again. "Anytime, just remember what I said, alright?"

"Y-yeah." Beatrice watched Ace walk away before turning to the maid, who had set her broom against a frilly light pole. "Do you mind-"

"I'll take you to her, don't worry." They began walking down the stone flagon path, towards some steps that had clusters of trees planted close by. At the very bottom was a table that was set with all types of sweets, and a plain white tea set. At the head of the table sat the queen, she wore a frilly red dress that fit the era, and a small gold crown that stood out from her ,now curled, purple hair. A few attendants stood close by, as did guards that looked identical to the ones outside the castle. Surrounding them all were roses that were in bloom, all of them a varying shade of red, and giving off a heavy smell that threatened to overwhelm everything else. The maid curtsied deeply towards the queen and held it. "Queen Vivaldi, I present the foreigner that you requested."

The woman paused in taking her tea to stare her down. Without being told Beatrice curtsied just as deeply as the maid. "I'm sorry for being late, Your Highness, I got lost in the maze-"

"You are forgiven." Though the words were abrupt and harsh, her tone sounded amused. "Come join Us at the table, we have waited a long time to spend this moment with you." Beatrice rose out of the uncomfortable position and went to the chair opposite the Queen, but she made a tsking sound in her throat. "Sit closer, if We want to yell at you We shall." Beatrice did as she was told, and took a seat at her left hand side then set a petal pink napkin over the knees of her dress. Another maid quickly prepared some tea for her, adding in four lumps of sugar when told. Once the maid had gone back to her position behind the queen, Vivaldi turned her full attention to Beatrice. "Do you like Our tea?"

Beatrice removed her spoon from her tea cup and placed it on the saucer just behind the tea cup and to the right. She then took a sip from the cup, her nose wrinkling from the overwhelming smell of mint and lemon. "It's very good." She said as she lowered her cup back on the saucer. "I've never had mint tea before, it tastes like candy." A lie of course, but she doubted most kids actually indulged in anything more exotic then pink lemonade tea.

Vivaldi gave a low laugh; it was an earthy sound that showed her maturity. "And We had not expected a child to know proper tea etiquette. Even Alice, as responsible as she is, often forgets wear to place her spoon."

Beatrice's ring and middle fingers curled as she smiled. "Thank you very much, Your Highness."

"Vivaldi," She said. "you may call Us Vivaldi." She picked up her own tea cup again. "Now tell Us how you came to Wonderland, Beatrice."

Beatrice once again did as she was told. She remembered to use simpler words, but not get too excited or wordy on certain parts. Every once in a while the queen would interject with a question, and by the end of her tale, Vivaldi had become rather amused with the whole thing. "And that's how it happened." Beatrice finished, cutting a scone with her knife and fork.

The queen stirred her tea, a thoughtful expression on her face. "We never thought that a foreigner could merely be a child though, or come down so violently." Her eyebrows furrowed. "That damned White, We're sure he did this on purpose!"

Beatrice didn't comment on the almost immediate mood switch. "Who's White?"

"Peter White, he is Our Prime Minister," She set her spoon down in its proper place. "Did he not even bother to introduce himself when he brought you to Wonderland?"

"No one brought me here…" She stopped cutting, her hands becoming loose around her utensils. "I don't remember anyone coming for me…" She looked up at Vivaldi. "Was someone supposed to?"

"We are not sure." Vivaldi picked up her cup and placed it to her lips. "With Alice she was brought in part by Peter White, and by the Caterpillar. However, foreigners are rare, and We assume their experiences differ as much as their looks and personalities."

"Can I talk to Mr. White or Caterpillar then?"

"White is doing a project for Us," Vivaldi said. "but the Caterpillar is reachable through his own domain at any time."

"Where's that?"

"The Dream Realm."

* * *

 _ **Review Responses:**_

 _ **Angelic Trinity: This chapter may or may not confirm that sentiment. Well, you usually see Vivaldi straight up love the Oc as soon as she's introduced either via good manner or cuteness. While I'm aware that Vivaldi would maybe forgive someone if they were cute enough, unless you're Pierce the poor guy, I wanted to give everyone a different type of introduction than what they're usually given. Except apparently Ace, his just worked out way too well…**_

 _ **Nekohana: Yes I am…Awe, thanks! ^_^**_

 _ **princess of ice and snow: Beatrice's age hasn't been revealed, it'll be revealed soon though.**_

 **Kino Ametsuchi: Wow, I'm glad you think so. Dramatic overtones are not my forte, but if you can sense them then I think I did a decent enough job.**


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